advanced reading copy of ADOPTING GRACE
53 of 186

Chapter 4 – Surrender to Self-Care “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. “ Matthew 11:28-30, The Message In the early days of family with three sons, we fell into routines. For about ten years as I turned thirty and then forty, life with our three sons rolled along. Mark worked long hours and traveled frequently. I took pride in my independence and ability to “keep it all afloat” on the home front. Sometimes friends and I would look askance at moms who needed more hands on help from their husbands. My own blurred sense of self and family allowed me to see myself as having it all together. We had a traditional division of labor, and I settled into the role of stay-at-home mom. My natural inclination was to live life in the fast lane. That looked something like this: volunteer everywhere my kids are involved and places beyond; take on leadership roles at school and church; have kids signed up for multiple activities at a time requiring carpools, driving back and forth across ADOPTING GRACE ADVANCED READING COPY 53